


Thanks for Being You

by paperficwriter



Category: DC Super Hero Girls (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Senior Year at Metropolis High School, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24516937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperficwriter/pseuds/paperficwriter
Summary: Steve is a huge team player, but at what cost? Meanwhile, Carter feels like Steve doesn't get the thanks he deserves.
Relationships: Carter Hall/Steve Trevor
Kudos: 8





	Thanks for Being You

Steve Trevor was drooling.

Nobody else at the party noticed, except Carter, because Carter really did notice a lot. A lot more than the other kids in their classes who were currently partying in Hal’s basement, because it was spring break and that’s what the seniors were “supposed” to do, super or not. Someone had brought in drinks - a few bottles of wine, some beer, nothing crazy - and Steve had announced that he would be taking the role of designated driver.

Everyone cheered.

And then Steve had promptly wandered over to a beanbag in the corner, sat down with his ginger ale, and fell asleep.

Carter wandered over and gave him a little poke. “Hey, Steve.”

The blonde boy woke up with a start, standing up immediately, like a light switch had gone off in his brain. “Okay, who’s ready to head home?” he asked with a huge smile on his face.

“No one yet. It’s only eight.”

Steve chuckled. “Oh, right. These things tend to go past bedtime, huh?”

Carter walked with Steve as he found his way to the food table where there was a stack of pizzas waiting. He watched as Steve picked through them, until he sighed. “What’s wrong?”

“Only supreme left, and that has anchovies.”

“Not a fan?”

“It doesn’t seem right? You know. Garth. What if it’s someone he knows?”

Carter passed him his plate with a patient smile. “Here. I still have a piece of the extra cheese left.”

As Steve took it, Carter considered that tonight wasn’t the first time that Steve was putting other people ahead of himself. In fact, come to think of it, he was pretty sure he had been out late the night before helping Jimmy Olsen develop photos for the yearbook, because “digital removed the age-old qualities of photography,” or something. He also recalled that Steve was on the planning committee for prom, helping Oliver with his one-man show, and was helping with at least one study group in two different classes.

No wonder he was falling asleep at the party.

So when Steve packed his car full except for the front seat - “It’s safest in the back!” - Carter approached him. “Let me come with you.”

“Oh, gosh, you don’t have to.” Steve put on his seatbelt, chewing his lip as the massive Hawkman climbed in beside him. “What about the party?”

“It’s fine.” Carter didn’t really do parties. He went because it was fun to do things with his classmates beyond just saving the world, but in the end, he was usually the first one to leave. As Steve pulled his old station wagon inherited from his uncle, Carter watched his face. He was probably just focused on driving, but when Steve wasn’t smiling he looked…

Older. Sadder.

When Steve noticed, the smile was back on, flashing in the headlights of the cars on the road. “What’s up, big guy? Something in my teeth?”

Carter shook his head and turned his head to stare out the window instead. He glanced at the car’s clock as they drove, any chance for conversation destroyed by someone in the backseat having started a very drunken karaoke session of “Call Me Maybe.” It took over an hour to drive around Metropolis, and when the last person fell out of the car, they were on the opposite side of town from where Carter lived. 

“Okay, you’re my last ride, Carter-sauce.” Carter snorted at that. That was...definitely one he hadn’t heard before. “Where to?” 

“I’ll hop out here. It’s not far, and...you know. Wings.”

“You sure? I don’t mind!” he kept insisting, even after he unfolded his massive legs from where they had been tucked in front of the glove compartment. “Well, thanks for the company anyway! I’ll see you Monday?”

“Yeah. See ya.” 

As the massive wings opened and Carter took to the sky, wind rushing into his face and thundering in his ears, he wondered when the last time was that the team did something to thank Steve for everything. Not that they didn’t voice their gratitude, tell him what a good guy he was, but...

So, Carter mentioned it, the next time they were all together, changing from their “civilian” (or, really, school) clothes into their super hero gear. This was really the only time the team was together without Steve, as he had a tendency to just go dressed in his normal attire. All of his outfits were rather...beige.

The guys agreed, because they had found since they started their little coteries of super heroes Carter spoke the most when it was something important. So they banded together, and for a while Carter was happy to see them acknowledge Steve a little bit more. There were plenty of claps on the back, high-fives, and every time someone had something even similar to a donut, they raised it in a “toast” to Steve Trevor, who saved the city from the evil Zod and his followers.

It was good...until the bathroom.

Carter was in the bathroom during his last period, the silence heavy between the linoleum and the dry walls. He was alone and had, admittedly, gotten a bit distracted on his phone in the stall when the door opened. He didn’t even notice. Until…

“Oh my god, I hate this so much.”

Was that...it sounded like Steve. But that also wasn’t something Steve would say, so…

“Why can’t I stop feeling this way?”

That was definitely Steve. Carter put his phone down and peered in the crack between the door and the stall’s wall and saw him staring at himself in the mirror over the sink. He was breathing heavily, shoulders rising and falling, and then he splashed his face with cold water.

“First, the Academy...no, not even first. First it was...dodgeball and the kid’s band and glee club and then the Academy and now…I’m supposed to feel better, I’m supposed to be better, it’s supposed to be better here, but...”

He grabbed a handful of the brown, harsh paper towels and rubbed them over his cheeks.

“It still feels like it’s not enough.”

Steve left after that, and Carter could have sworn that he saw him literally lift up his head, straighten his back and robotically return to his beige, ‘everything is okay’ facade.

After school, Carter found him by his locker. “Heya, Mr. Car-ter!” Steve laughed. “Sorry, that didn’t really work. I was trying to sound like somebody from this show my Dad and I used to watch, but that was Mr. Kotter, so...anyway, hi!”

It was like what happened in the bathroom wasn’t even him. Carter would have questioned it if not for the slightly red puffiness of his cheeks, the drops of water almost dried on his shirt collar. “Are you going to work on the set pieces for Oliver?” he asked.

“Yeah! Probably just for a few hours because then I have to study for that biology test tomorrow.”

“You need some help?”

“With...what? The sets or the studying?”

“Both. We’re in the same class.”

That was how Carter ended up closer to Steve than ever. Literally. Because Oliver’s stage was not that large, so they were practically cheek-to-cheek adding details to what was supposed to be Oliver’s (or was it Oliver’s character’s?) childhood home. This close, Carter could see how meticulously parted Steve’s hair was, how he got a deep little dimple in his cheek when he smiled.

And when they went to the library afterwards, they sat on the same side of the table to share Steve’s extremely neat, detailed notes. Carter had thought that they were printed, they were so meticulously written, but that was just his handwriting.

Their hands touched when they both reached for the textbook. “Haha...sorry.” Steve was blushing. Was Carter blushing? He couldn’t tell.

It didn’t end there. That weekend, Carter got up early to pick up Steve after he had to take the station wagon to get fixed up. Then, they went to the animal shelter where Steve volunteered (“Sorry there aren’t many birds. It’s mostly dogs and cats. Don’t worry, I’ll be here so you don’t get lonely!”), and then one of Hal’s games.

Did Carter ever imagine that he would be standing in for one of the other cheerleaders so they could do the most massive standing pyramid ever? Not before that night, that was for sure.

And of course because the car was still being worked on, Carter flew Steve home. He kept trying to talk to him, even though he couldn’t hear him and he kept sort of cuddling up to his chest, which was so unimaginably cute. It was only when they landed on the roof that Steve realized the position he was in...yet still held Carter’s arms as he found his balance.

“I can’t believe we spent the whole day together,” he said with one of his very Steve laughs. “I don’t even know where the time went. I think...yeah, that’s the longest we’ve been alone without the guys.”

“I had a good time.”

“Yeah...me too. I hope I wasn’t putting you out!”

Carter wasn’t sure what to say to that. Part of him wanted to tell him that he wanted to pay him back for everything he did for the team, but while that was still true…

When Steve went to pull away, to open what Carter saw was his bedroom window, Carter took his wrists. “I want to do more of this, if you want,” he said quietly.

“Hanging out on my roof? I think my parents might start asking questions.”

Oh god. “I mean, spending time together. Just the two of us. Without the guys. But...not just running errands.”

“Oh...ohhh.” Steve’s smile fell, but only because his eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to figure out how to handle processing what Carter said. “Maybe we could. Spend time. Having...brunch.”

“...brunch?”

“Or some other meal! I’m not picky!”

“No, no, brunch is fine.”

Steve’s cheeks went darker. “But...if it’s brunch, that’s only Sundays, so...tomorrow isn’t too fast, is it?”

Carter breathed a sigh of relief. He shook his head, wings opening and closing behind him. “No. Tomorrow is perfect.”


End file.
